Joint I.S and DLA JC interview

135

Comments

  • One of you will get Carer's Allowance and the Income Support is a joint claim. You should also receive Housing Benefit (if renting) and Council Tax benefit. For your child, in addition to DLA, you should be receiving Child Tax Credits, and based ont he fact that he receives High Rate Care, there should be a disabled premium and a severely disabled premium paid with CTC.

    The interview may be to see if your wife is able to work or to attend any courses with a view to working in the future, but usually there is no obligation to work if you are a carer. Only one person can claim Carer's Allowance, but I know couples that need both parents as carers, and neither need to seek paid employment because of the joint Income Support claim.

    I've been my son's carer since he was born 19 years ago. He is on high rate DLA and always has been, due to the level of his needs. I've been a single parent for twelve years, and have had to attend Work Focused Interviews at the Job Centre because I am a carer. They are relatively painless. The first one is the longest, while they log information onto the system. This is mainly personal details including education. There is no pressure to find work. In fact, at my last WFI, I was told that they're not surprised that I cannot have a paid job for the forseeable future, as my son's needs must come first, and he needs constant care both day and night.

    Under the circumstances, although the interview is for your wife, I would suggest that both of you attend. Whilst you receive Carer's Allowance, your NI contributions are kept up-to-date. Your wife may need to query hers though, but they might be sorted out if she is the named person who receives Child Benefit. It's definitely worth her asking - if they can't answer, they can signpost you to the correct department to check.
  • AG47
    AG47 Posts: 1,618 Forumite
    pmlindyloo wrote: »
    Based on what you are saying you should both go to the interview, explain the situation and go from there.

    Are you getting some support for your child?

    You can only get one lot of Carer's Allowance for your child. There is no such thing as a joint claim.

    Yes thanks, so even though I'm official the claimant, we are both cereus
    Nothing has been fixed since 2008, it was just pushed into the future
  • pmlindyloo
    pmlindyloo Posts: 13,049
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    AG47 wrote: »
    Yes thanks, so even though I'm official the claimant, we are both cereus

    Yes, you are both carers. Many people are carers but don't claim CA for one reason or another.

    Remember that the DWP do not know your situation. They only know that you are claiming CA and Income Support.

    Once they know your situation they will make notes on your file and their recommendations. It is very unlikely that your wife would be made to look for work once you explain the circumstances.

    Have you had a Carer's Assessment from your local council? They may be able to offer some support.
  • AG47
    AG47 Posts: 1,618 Forumite
    pmlindyloo wrote: »
    Yes, you are both carers. Many people are carers but don't claim CA for one reason or another.

    Remember that the DWP do not know your situation. They only know that you are claiming CA and Income Support.

    Once they know your situation they will make notes on your file and their recommendations. It is very unlikely that your wife would be made to look for work once you explain the circumstances.

    Have you had a Carer's Assessment from your local council? They may be able to offer some support.

    Nope, I have never had a carers assessment, what does that involve?
    Nothing has been fixed since 2008, it was just pushed into the future
  • pmlindyloo
    pmlindyloo Posts: 13,049
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    Parent carer assessments
    If you are a parent of a disabled child aged under 18, your child can be assessed by the local authority under law relating to the needs of children in the Children and Families Act 2014.
    You will also be assessed as part of that process because social services will look at the needs of the family as a whole. This is often referred to as a "holistic" assessment.
    The assessment should take into account detailed information about your family, including:
    the family’s background and culture
    your own views and preferences
    the needs of any other children you have
    The assessment is not a test of your parenting skills, but should be a sensitive look at any difficulties the family has as a whole, with a view to considering what support or services are needed.
    A care plan should be drawn up that would include services to benefit both you and your disabled child. For example, there could be adaptations to the home, help with bathing or regular respite breaks to ensure you get the rest you need.
    You could also choose to have a direct payment so that you can buy in your own services for your child.

    Google the name of your local authority with the words carer's assessment for contact details
  • AG47
    AG47 Posts: 1,618 Forumite
    Quick question please,

    If I'm getting CA, and I earn about £100 per week, can my wife earn about £100 as well, or will this affect my CA?
    Nothing has been fixed since 2008, it was just pushed into the future
  • pmlindyloo
    pmlindyloo Posts: 13,049
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    AG47 wrote: »
    Quick question please,

    If I'm getting CA, and I earn about £100 per week, can my wife earn about £100 as well, or will this affect my CA?

    It won't affect your CA but it will affect your other mean tested benefits.

    Have you used the benefits calculator to put in different scenarios? https://www.entitledto.co.uk
  • Tomsdottir
    Tomsdottir Posts: 48 Forumite
    edited 15 September 2017 at 2:06AM
    You could ring Contact a Family for a free benefits check on 0808 808 3555. They support the families of disabled children - and could tell you about any groups in your area. before ringing, put together some figures: your housing costs, council tax, child tax credit, DLA, any other income, savings, everyone's dates of birth, and what hours and rates of income you think you could achieve. They are a fantastic organisation, in my experience. In particular, can you look out your child tax credit award letter so that they can check that the correct disabled child element(s) are being included? Ask about local welfare fund payments from your local authority if you need replacement items for the home (cooker? carpets? curtains?) In Scotland, this is paid via the Scottish Welfare Fund - I can't tell where you're from.
    One thing I did want to be clear about: as others have said, you, as the income support claimant, are NOT required to look for work. If you did work on income support, £20 a week of your earnings would be ignored, and the rest would be deducted from your income support, pound for pound - so you'd only ever be better off in work by £20 a week. Your partner is also NOT required to look for work whilst you are claiming income support. If that were the case, she'd be claiming JSA. I just wanted to stress that, in case it was a factor in your decision making. Sometimes people come away from these interviews feeling inappropriately pressured. I hope this helps a little.
  • AG47
    AG47 Posts: 1,618 Forumite
    I'm the one claiming I.S and CA, my wife doesn't claim anything, but if she did get a one day a week job and earned about £60, would the same £20 allowance not be taken off our income support?
    Nothing has been fixed since 2008, it was just pushed into the future
  • poppy12345
    poppy12345 Posts: 17,817
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    Forumite
    AG47 wrote: »
    I'm the one claiming I.S and CA, my wife doesn't claim anything, but if she did get a one day a week job and earned about £60, would the same £20 allowance not be taken off our income support?
    She would be on your IS claim because you claim a s a couple. She would only be allowed to earn up to £20 per week. Anything over that and it would affect your IS.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.8K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.3K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.4K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 606.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.7K Life & Family
  • 247.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards